Call for Applications: Humanities EXPLORE Research Fellowship with Professor Jamila Kareem – 2025-2026
Hybridization of African American and Korean Cultures in K-pop and Call-and-Response Practices (Writing Program)
We encourage work-study and non-work-study students to apply. This internship is only open to undergraduate students with a declared or proposed Humanities major or minor and requires work authorization.
Application Deadline: May 18, 2025
The Humanities Experiential Learning Opportunities in Research (EXPLORE) Program connects undergraduate Humanities majors and minors with faculty-led projects in the division for paid research positions. Fellows gain valuable mentorship and practical experience.
Details
Duration: Academic Year 2025–26 (September-June)
Hours: 15 hours/week
Pay: $20/hour
Mentorship: Regular check-ins and support from Professor Jamila Kareem (Writing Program)
About the project
The project is a multimodal research study that examines the role of African American discourse in K-Pop’s culturally hybridized context. This study integrates genre analysis, discourse analysis, multimodal analysis, and activity analysis, with an emphasis on how call-and-response manifests in idol-to-fan interactions across various digital and live engagement spaces. The project aims to interrogate multimodal practices of call-and-response in observations of video-based and text-based fan-artist public interactions by examining how a common African American discourse mode operates within the South Korean cultural-historical context of K-Pop culture.
What You’ll Do
Research Data Collection (25%)
- Annotate secondary sources as requested by the PI.
- Complete assigned secondary research tasks as needed by the PI.
- Conduct written observations of text-based content in digital media and on social media.
- Identify and rationalize primary sources, including interviews, live-streams, social media posts, and other K-Pop fan-centered content to supplement the PI’s content.
Research Data Classification and Analysis (55%)
- Transcribe video observations collected by the PI.
- Help create a justifiable coding scheme for content classification and analysis.
- Categorize observation data into a coding scheme.
Research Reporting and Communication (15%)
- Produce monthly reports of research activities and goals for next month.
- Maintain and adhere to a set research and reporting schedule.
Professional Development & Humanities EXPLORE Programming (5%)
- Attend planning and debriefing meetings biweekly.
- Attend research skills workshops or training as assigned.
- Attend a quarterly Humanities EXPLORE Program cohort meeting when possible and participate in asynchronous Canvas experiential learning reflection.
Eligibility & Qualifications
- You must be a declared or proposed major or minor in a Humanities Division department and have good academic standing. If proposed, declare by June.
- Eligible majors: Applied Linguistics and Multilingualism, Classical Studies, Critical Race and Ethnic Studies, Feminist Studies, History, Jewish Studies, Language Studies, Linguistics, Literature, Philosophy, Spanish Studies
- Eligible minors: Black Studies, Classical Studies, East Asian Studies, History of Consciousness, History, Italian Studies, Jewish Studies, Language Studies, Linguistics, Literature, Middle Eastern and North African Studies, Philosophy, Spanish Studies
- You have work authorization (required)
- You can work independently and collaboratively (required)
- You have a basic understanding of primary vs. secondary research.
- You’re interested in cultural studies, rhetorical studies, and the intersections of race, ethnicity, history, language, and rhetoric.
- You have intermediate skills in using databases to locate, evaluate, and compile primary and secondary sources.
- Ideally, you have two years of college-level research experience or one year of relevant professional or internship experience.
- You’re willing to learn and apply discourse analysis, content analysis, and qualitative data classification methods.
- You’re open to training in observational research and various forms of textual analysis.
What You’ll Learn
- Explore cultural communication styles, including African American, Western, and East Asian rhetorical traditions.
- Develop research skills like source evaluation, information literacy, and contextual analysis.
- Practice clear written and oral communication through reports and meetings.
- Build professionalism by maintaining a schedule, meeting deadlines, and attending training.
- Gain hands-on experience with digital research tools and analyze social media as a research method.
How To Apply
- Updated resume
- 1-page cover letter addressing:
- Why you’re interested in this role
- How your background and skills apply
- What you hope to gain from the experience
- Address your letter to Professor Kareem
Review these resume and cover letter resources to ensure you are a strong candidate! For application help, see Humanities Career Engagement.
Questions? Email Kylie Rachwalski at hum-experiential-learning@ucsc.edu
The Mellon Foundation, The Helen and Will Webster Foundation, The Humanities Institute, the UCSC Humanities Division, and private donors generously support the Humanities EXPLORE Program.
Misconduct Disclosure Requirement:
As a condition of employment, the final candidate who accepts a conditional offer of employment will be required to disclose if they have been subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct; received notice of any allegations or are currently the subject of any administrative or disciplinary proceedings involving misconduct; have left a position after receiving notice of allegations or while under investigation in an administrative or disciplinary proceeding involving misconduct; or have filed an appeal of a finding of misconduct with a previous employer.
- “Misconduct” means any violation of the policies or laws governing conduct at the applicant’s previous place of employment, including, but not limited to, violations of policies or laws prohibiting sexual harassment, sexual assault, or other forms of harassment, discrimination, dishonesty, or unethical conduct, as defined by the employer. For reference, below are UC’s policies addressing some forms of misconduct:
